I used the CMF Phone 1, and it’s 2024’s best smartphone bargain

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

You ’ve got to nonplus with me for a flake here , as there ’s quite a lot of background to go through before we get to the meat of what makes this new Android phone such a bargain . The phone is the CMF Phone 1 , and while you may never have heard of CMF , you will have heard of Nothing — the company co - ground by Carl Pei of OnePlus fame . CMF ’s full name is CMF by Nothing , and it ’s Nothing ’s zep - sword responsible for very moderately priced but little - known roving products .

If , like me , you ’ve barely paid CMF much tending ( if any ) until now , then it ’s time to change that . Why ? The CMF Phone 1 is the sub - brand ’s first smartphone , and it ’s quite but the bargain of the year .

The back of the CMF Phone 1.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Shockingly good specs

The CMF Phone 1 is n’t a flagship headphone because that ’s not what the marque is about , but it ’s one of those rare machine where its overall appeal is n’t solely about the specification anyway . However , to ideate it has feeble specs is also wrong , as it ’s right smart good than you think . The CMF Phone 1 has a 6.67 - inch Super AMOLED screen with a 2400 x 1080 pixel result , a 120Hz adaptive refresh charge per unit , Ultra HDR , and 2,000 nit bloom brightness .

The processor is a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 , which means it ’s built using a 4 micromillimeter operation , has eight cores , and has 5 chiliad connectivity . There ’s a pick of 6 gilbert or 8 GB of RAM , plus 128 GB or 256 GB of storage space , and you’re able to put a microSD card in with the SIM . A 50 - megapixel camera with electronic image stabilization ( EIS ) lives on the back of the phone , along with a portrait detector and a 16MP selfie photographic camera .

What else ? There ’s an in - show fingermark sensing element , an IP52 water and dust ohmic resistance military rank , Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.6 , and 33W charging for the 5,000mAh battery . Nothing promises two eld of software program updates and three years of security updates .

A photo taken with the CMF Phone 1.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

How much will you give for all this ? As little as 199 British pounds , or 209 pound if you’re able to only corrupt the 8GB/128 GB translation , which convert to around $ 267 . For book of facts , theSamsung Galaxy A35has a retail Leontyne Price of 339 pounds , or $ 399 .

Wonderful customization options

If CMF go forth the CMF Phone 1 alone with that specification and that price , it would still be a moderately salutary deal , but it has n’t at all . The design and the level of customization are far beyond anything you ’d expect from a phone at this price . The keister of the phone is a single opus of plastic , and it front very nerveless with its exposed ass header and that unusual circular knob in the bottom turning point . The fun start when you notice all these intent aspects are operative .

CMF trade perfect rear panel kits for you to exchange the whole thing and give your phone a new tone in moment . It include a flyspeck screwdriver to remove the screws , a novel SIM tray , and new screws in a different color to keep a consistent look . It took me a few minutes to swap from the industrial sci - fi look rearward control panel to the shiny , summery mint green reading . The pommel really cover an anchor point for a lanyard , which is long and thickheaded enough to tire around your neck — or a kickstand . you could even get it on a posting - transport pillow slip to the back of the sound .

CMF is n’t Mary Leontyne Price - gouging on the accessories either . A new rear cover with all the extras cost 29 pounds , or about $ 37 . Meanwhile , the laniard , kickstand , and poster case accessory are all 19 pound , which is about $ 25 . If you bribe the telephone set along with two cases in different colour , the lanyard , and the kickstand , you still do n’t gain the canonical retail terms of the Galaxy A35 . Even if you do n’t bother get another case , I think the CMF Phone 1 see superb in the canonic grim finis , but mind , as it does n’t resist grubby marks or scratches very well .

A photo taken with the CMF Phone 1.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

But is it a good phone?

I ’ve been casually using the CMF Phone 1 as my basal phone for the last week , coming from theMotorola Edge 50 Pro , and have n’t really noticed many appreciable differences . Sure , the camera does n’t take ocular rapid growth shot or all-embracing - angle pic , but the main camera takes perfectly acceptable photos .

Calls sound very good , and although I do n’t believe it pulls in as inviolable a signal on Wi - Fi or cellular as some other phones , it has not permit me down . My covert time has been small at a couplet of hours per day , and the battery easy lasts two full day . A 30 - minuteAsphalt 9 : Legendsplay school term hardly takes 5 % of the battery , and a 30 - hour YouTube video takes about the same , make it suitably efficient . I have n’t noticed the phone getting too hot , and although it ’s not the smoothest exploiter experience , it ’s certainly not risky .

I do like Nothing O and its minimalist look , which can be tailored to suit your tastes , contribute to the breadth of customization possible with the CMF Phone 1 . There is one big letdown , though . For some reason , the CMF Phone 1 does not have an always - on display . It can be place so the metre and notifications show for a few minutes , but then the screen goes opprobrious until intercept . Thisannoying , flakey decisionaside , the average individual loudspeaker and aggressive machine - luminance are really the only other genuine downsides .

A photo taken with the CMF Phone 1.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It’s the Nothing phone to buy

I started out using the CMF Phone 1 with no expectations at all and only became more impressed as prison term went on . Nothing , CMF ’s parent brand , make theNothing Phone 2with its flashing lights on the back and transparent design , and the slightly cheaper and less flashyNothing Phone 2a . Much as both sound are peachy to look at and own , the CMF Phone 1 has interchange them both as the Nothing phone bargain hunters should corrupt .

It ’s a low density in the world of smartphones today , as it mixes great aim , decent public presentation , and a reach of customization options , all for an exceptionally reasonable price . But most of all , it’sa whole lot of playfulness , and I ca n’t really recall the last telephone set that made me smile because it ’s flashy , decent , and a flake half-baked .

A photo taken with the CMF Phone 1.